Door latching assembly



April 25, 1967 R. s. PARSON DOOR LATCHING ASSEMBLY Filed Se t. 25, 1964 "in Y H! J'IgzR i 2 V H 2- f2? a i; "H

Y I M /7 INVENTOR. RALPH S. PARSON ATTORNEY United States Patent M 3,316,000 D0012 LATCHING ASSEMBLY Ralph S. Parson, Edward St, Newington, Conn. 06111 Filed Sept. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 398,665 Claims. (Cl. 29286) The invention is directed to a door latching assembly and, more particularly, to the type of device which is used to hold a pivotable door in an open position.

Among prior art devices, some of the known door latching mechanisms have been found to be quite complex in concept and construction; others lack the advantage of positive unaided latching action or quick and convenient disengagement of the latching members.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome disadvantages of the prior art by providing a door latching assembly that is uncomplicated in construction and may be inexpensively manufactured from readily available materials through the use of conventional tools and machinery.

Another principal object of the present invention is to provide a door latching assembly that embodies positive, unaided latching action to hold a door in an open position upon either opening or closing movement of the door.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a door latching assembly which may be easily and conveniently disengaged from its latching position as well as being adapted to selectively disable the latching mode of operation when desired.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from a reading of the specification which follows together with the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of the door latching assembly of the present invention indicatin the relative position of its several members in respect of a door with which the device is operatively used.

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view of the door latching assembly of the present invention installed in operative relationship to a door and taken through section 2-2 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 3 is a top elevation view of the door latching assembly mounted on a door and door frame as shown in FIGURE 2.

The door latching assembly of the present invention includes a strike pin, a keeper and a disengagement memher. The strike pin is mounted in the edge of a pivotable door so as to extend therefrom. The keeper has a locking recess adapted to receive the strike pin and two opposed camming surfaces, one on either side of the locking recess; the disengagement element is used to unlock the keeper from the strike pin and may also be used to disable the latching mode of operation of the keeper and strike pin when desired. In use, the keeper of the present invention is mounted in fixed relation to the door such as on the door frame if the assembly is to be used principally to hold the door in a partially opened position. Alternatively, the keeper may be mounted on a nearby wall or any convenient fixed base so as to hold the door in a fully opened position. In either case, the keeper is mounted so that its locking recess and the two opposed camming surfaces are all in general alignment with the are described by the strike pin upon movement of the door about its pivotable axis. Thus, when the door is either opened or closed, the strike pin, passing through an are generally in alignment with the camming surfaces and the locking recess, Will strike one or the other of the camming surfaces, raising the keeper and allowing the locking recess to fall over and lock on to the strike pin by reason of the resiliency of the keeper.

When it is desired to allow the door to close, a dis- 3,316,000 Patented Apr. 25, 1967 engagement member which is slida'bly mounted on the door adjacent to the strike pin, may be positioned to lift the keeper, disengaging the locking recess from the strike pin. The disengagement member is so designed, mounted and positioned that it may be selectively extended beyond the edge of the door to disable the locking mode of operation of the keeper and strike pin, the disengagement member bearing against the keeper to prevent the locking recess from falling into locking engagement with the strike pin.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, there is shown a keeper 10 which is provided with two holes 11 by which it may be secured to a fixed base such as a door frame by a suitable means such as the screws 12. At the other end of the keeper, there will be seen two inclined camming surfaces 13 and 14 which are opposite to each other and on either side of a locking recess 15. A strike pin, which may take the form of a wood screw 16 as shown in FIGURE 1, is mounted in an edge of a door shown generally at 17. Also mounted on the door, in alignment with and adjacent to the strike pin 16, is a disengagement member 18, having two elongated recesses 19 by which it is secured to the door 17 by suitable means such as the screws 20. The screws 20 bear frictionally against the disengagement member 18 to hold it in any selected position, but yet permit sliding adjustment. The disengagement member 18 has a right angle bend 21 at its end, forming a convenient means by which the disengagement member 18 may be grasped to adjust its position upwardly or downwardly within the range afforded for such movement by the elongated recesses 19.

The other end of the disengagement member 18 has a rounded portion 22 so configured that it will slide smoothly against the surface of the keeper 10 when the keeper is disengaged from its position in locking engagement with the strike pin 16 and also when the disengagement member 13 is retained in its extended position to disable the latching mode of operation of the assembly when so desired.

The manner of operation of the door latching assembly can be more clearly seen in FIGURES 2 and 3 wherein like members bear the same numerical designations as in FIGURE 1. In FIGURE 2 the keeper 10 is shown as being secured by means of screws 12 to a door frame shown generally at 23. The keeper 10 is preferably made of a fiat piece of resilient material so that upon movement of the door in an opening direction, for instance, the strike pin 16 in the edge of the door 17 strikes the camming surface 14 raising the keeper 10 slightly so that the strike pin 16 slides along the surface of the keeper 10 and camming surface 14 until it is in alignment with the locking recess 15, whereupon the resiliency of the keeper 10 causes the keeper to spring the locking recess 15 into locking engagement over the strike pin 16. Conversely, upon movement of the door 17 in a closing direction, the strike pin 16 comes into contact with the camming surface 13, raising the keeper 10 slightly and again allowing the keeper and camming surface 13 to slide along the top of strike pin 16 until the locking recess 15 is in alignment with and springs into locking engagement over the strike pin 16 due to the resiliency of the material of which the keeper 10 is fabricated. Thus, the door latching assembly of the present invention affords positive, unaided latching action due to the resiliency of the keeper 10 in operative combination with the coacting elements of the strike pin 16, the locking recess 15 and the two camming surfaces 13 and 14 on either side of the locking recess.

If desired, the disengagement member 18 may be positioned in fixed extension beyond the edge of the door 17 so that the locking mode of operation of the door latching assembly as disabled and the door 17 will open and close in the same fashion as it would if the door latching assembly of the present invention were not present. The screws 20 can be adjusted to bear sufficiently upon the disengagement member 18 to hold it firmly in any desired position, but still permit its sliding adjustment. Thus the rounded portion 22 of the disengagement member 18 can be extended beyond the edge of the door 17 by an amount not less than the extension of strike pin 16 from the edge of door 17. When the door 17 swings about its pivotable axis in either open or closing movement, the rounded portion 22. of disengagement member 18 strikes either camming surface 14 or camming surface 13 raising the keeper it] sufficiently so that the locking recess 15 passes over strike pin 16 without falling into locking engagement with it. When the disengagement member 18 is moved into its lower position, the door latching assembly once again operates in the manner heretofore described.

The drawings of FIGURES 2 and 3 illustrate the door latching assembly of the present invention when it is used to hold a door in a partially opened position such as to facilitate a degree of ventilation for instance by holding the door ajar. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the door latching assembly may also be used to hold a door in fully opened position.

By mounting the keeper ill on an adjacent wall or other fixed base, the strike pin 16, describing an arc in general alignment with the locking recess 15 and camming surfaces 13 and 14 of the keeper, will come into locking engagement with the locking recess 15 upon opening or closing movement of the door 1'7 in a manner similar to that described previously. However, with the keeper mounted on an adjacent wall, the door 17 will be held in a fully opened positioned. As can be readily appreciated, the strike pin 16 of the door latching assembly of the present invention may be mounted in one of the side edges of a door and the keeper lltl positioned to operatively coact by reason of its resiliency to engage its locking recess with the strike pin 16.

The simplicity of the present invention is one of its most desirable features and advantages, in that its construction is such that the assembly may be inexpensively manufactured from readily available materials through the use of conventional tools and machinery. Though simple in concept and construction, the door latching assembly of the present invention has the highly desirable feature of a positive, unaided latching action which is operative upon either opening or closing movement of a door, as well as having an effective means by which the latching mode of operation may be selectively disabled when so desired.

The concept of the present invention also has the advantage of being so designed as to be adaptable to various sizes and lengths in the design of the keeper member, but utilizing the same strike pin and disengagement members affording a wide variety of choices in the positions in which a door may be held open.

Mounting the door latching assembly to lock upon a strike pin extending from the top edge of a door prevents accidental or intentional disengagement of the locking function of the assembly by children since in this position it cannot be readily reached by children. On the other hand, the present invention, mounted in such a position, as so designed as to be readily accessible to disengagement by an adult from either side of the door. When desired, one need merely to reach around the edge of the door to push the disengagement member up to lift the keeper from locking engagement with the locking pin. From the inside of the door, this operation is accomplished with equal, if not more facility.

Since many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope or spirit thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A door latching assembly comprising a strike pin mounted to extend from an edge of a pivotable door, a keeper having a locking recess therein and a camming surface on either side of said locking recess for guiding said strike pin into locking engagement with said locking recess, said keeper being mounted in fixed relationship to said door, with said locking recess and said camming surfaces generally aligned with the arc described by said strike pin upon movement of the door about its pivotal axis, said locking recess and one of said camming surfaces of said keeper being engageable with said strike pin upon pivotal movement thereof toward said keeper from either side thereof so that engagement is effected between said strike pin and keeper upon movement of a door from either closed or fully open position, and a disengagement member slidably mountable upon the door to be adjustably extensible therefrom to disengage the locking recess of said keeper from said strike pin.

2. A door latching assembly comprising a strike pin mounted to extend from an edge of a pivotable door, a keeper having a locking recess therein and a camming surface adjacent either side of said locking recess, said camming surfaces being inclined from said locking recess for slidingly guiding said strike pin into locking engagement with said locking recess, said keeper being mountable in fixed relationship to the door with said locking recess and said camming surfaces generally aligned with the are described by said strike pin upon movement of the door about its pivotal axis, said locking recess and one of said camming surfaces being engageable with said strike pin upon pivotal movement of the strike pin from either side of said keeper so that engagement is effected therewith upon movement of the door from either closed or fully open position, and a disengagement member slidably mountable on the door to be adjustably extensible in the direction of and beyond the extension of said strike pin from the door for disengaging the locking recess of said keeper from said strike pin.

3. The door latching assembly of claim 2 wherein said disengagement member includes a rounded portion on the end of said member which is slidably extendable beyond the extension of said strike pin from the door.

4-. A door latching assembly comprising a strike pin mounted to extend from an edge of a pivotable door, 'a keeper of fiat resilient material of generally elongated rectangular shape, said keeper having a locking recess in one end thereof, portions of said keeper adjacent and on either side of said locking recess being bent to form inclined camming surfaces, said keeper also having a longitudinal slot from the other end thereof to the adjacent camming surface, said keeper being mountable in fixed relationship to the door with said locking recess, camming surfaces, and slot generally aligned with the are described by said strike pin upon movement of the door about its pivotal axis, said locking recess and one of said camming surfaces of said keeper being engageable with said strike pin upon pivotal movement thereof toward said keeper from either side thereof so that engagement is effected therewith upon movement of a door from either closed or fully open position, and a disengagement member slidably mountable on the door to be adjustably extensible beyond the strike pin on the door for disengaging the locking recess of said keeper from said strike pin,

5. A door latching assembly comprising a strike pin mounted in a pivotable door, said pin extending from an edge of the door parallel to the pivoted axis of the door, a keeper of fiat resilient material having a locking recess in one thereof and inclined camming surfaces on either side of said locking recess for slidingly guiding said keeper into locking engagement with said strike pin, said keeper being mounted to project from the frame for said door at right angles to said strike pin and generally in alignment with the are described by said pin upon movement of the door about its pivotal axis, said locking recess and one 5 6 of said camrning surfaces of said keeper being engageable References Cited by the Examiner with said strike pin upon pivotai movement of said strike UNITED STATES PATENTS pin toward said keeper from either side thereof so that 5 7 5 9 engagement is eifected therewith upon movement of a door 1 I 9 3/ i 04 Ryan 292 86 from either closed or fully open position, and a disengage- 5 4739 9/ 915 ment member slidably mountable on the side of the door FOREIGN PATENTS between said strike pin and keeper to be adjustably eX- 292,279 6/1928 Great Britain tended to displace said keeper beyond the extension of said strike pin from the door edge, whereby to disengage EDWARD ALLEN Primary Exmm-Mrsaid keeper from said locking recess and disable said 10 latching assemb]y I. R. MOSES, Examiner. 

1. A DOOR LATCHING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A STRIKE PIN MOUNTED TO EXTEND FROM AN EDGE OF A PIVOTABLE DOOR, A KEEPER HAVING A LOCKING RECESS THEREIN AND A CAMMING SURFACE ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID LOCKING RECESS FOR GUIDING SAID STRIKE PIN INTO LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LOCKING RECESS, SAID KEEPER BEING MOUNTED IN FIXED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID DOOR, WITH SAID LOCKING RECESS AND SAID CAMMING SURFACES GENERALLY ALIGNED WITH THE ARC DESCRIBED BY SAID STRIKE PIN UPON MOVEMENT OF THE DOOR ABOUT ITS PIVOTAL AXIS, SAID LOCKING RECESS AND ONE OF SAID CAMMING SURFACES OF SAID KEEPER BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID STRIKE PIN UPON PIVOTAL MOVEMENT THEREOF TOWARD SAID KEEPER FROM EITHER SIDE THEREOF SO THAT ENGAGEMENT IS EFFECTED BETWEEN SAID STRIKE PIN AND KEEPER UPON MOVEMENT OF A DOOR FROM EITHER CLOSED OR FULLY OPEN POSITION, AND A DISENGAGEMENT MEMBER SLIDABLY MOUNNTABLE UPON THE DOOR TO BE ADJUSTABLY EXTENSIBLE THEREFROM TO DISENGAGE THE LOCKING RECESS OF SAID KEEPER FROM SAID STRIKE PIN. 